


Never Gonna Give You Up

by ant kinda sus (RoraDye)



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Bad Flirting, Blue is a himbo, M/M, OH YEAH I HOPE YOU LIKE 80S MUSIC, Red's pov, bad interactions in electrical, cringey pick-up lines, falling in love in the worst possible time and place, gays in space, good interactions in electrical, gratuitous space puns, impostors are genetically mutated humans in this one, impostors are people too, showing your love through ipods, slaps roof of fic: this bad boy can fit so much lore and plot, this is a murder game of course there's going to be MURDER
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:00:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26633251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoraDye/pseuds/ant%20kinda%20sus
Summary: At first, I was half of a merciless Impostor duo—and together, we were unstoppable. A seemingly easy mission on a ship called The Skeld changed that. An annoying and insufferable Crewmate keeps bugging me with his crap pick-up-lines and awful puns. Moreover, he keeps following me everywhere.I thought that’s the reason I couldn’t kill him. Everyone knows he’s always with me. I’d be the first suspect. I can’t risk that.Then why am I now still holding back, when I have nothing else to lose?
Relationships: Blue/Red (Among Us), Crewmate/Impostor (Among Us), Cyan/Lime (Among Us)
Comments: 95
Kudos: 424





	1. Here Comes Your Man

**Author's Note:**

> Red: Male (he/him)  
> Blue: Male (he/him)  
> Black: Female (she/her)  
> Purple: Female (she/her)  
> Lime: Female (she/her)  
> Cyan: Non-binary (he/they)
> 
> check out [this work's spotify playlist.](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/47PKy4B7F3tt2AOabScRp5?si=LCazfpNHRmG_DJP0DmhMbw) <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> iPods have OTPs. A sabotage ensues. Red doesn't commit murder, and Blue is acting like a puppy.

I’ve infiltrated The Skeld for two months now. This isn’t my hardest mission; I’ve faced worse stuff before. Like this one time, the captain insisted everyone to wear Kevlar under their suits. I had to use my horrific second mouth to kill them all—which took more energy and was harder to suppress than a gunshot or a stab.

Still, I won’t say this mission’s going as smoothly as it should. We haven’t been able to get a kill for two weeks. Embarrassing. (And yes, I said “we”. I have an accomplice in crime with me that’s got my back. She’s taken the identity of Crewmate Black, a strong and respectable woman. Sometimes I forget she’s playing a role. Every time we’re alone discussing our next move and she slips to her southern accent, I get chills.)

“Red,” A voice startled me and I almost dropped the damn test tubes. It’s bouncy—the voice—and you can tell he’s grinning his stupid grin. The opening tunes of _Here Comes Your Man_ plays from the iPod shuffle I left on the table. I cringe. “Red! You’ve got to come and see th—“ There was a loud thud and I swivel around to look at him.

He tripped. He always does when he’s excited.

_Out by the fire breathing_

_Outside we wait till face turns blue_

His head is inches away from my right foot. I can squish him. It won’t be hard, being thrown to countless experiments made me physically stronger than the average human. I can kill him just like that, quick, and I can get my kill count moving again.

_There is a wait so long_

_(so long, so long)_

_You’ll never wait so long_

_Here comes your man_

I decided not to and offered him my hand. I smile just like how the real Red would smile. Prince-like. Blue takes my hand and chuckles. “Looks like I fell for you,” he grinned.

My smile faltered and I was _millimeters_ close to just take back my hands and let him fall back down. Maybe he’ll get brain damage. Sounds fair after hitting on me with that lame pick-up-line. “Don’t tell me you almost broke your nose just to say that,” I say as I pull him up.

He brushed off his navy colored suit. “Oh, I wish. But I’m not _that_ desperate for a pick-up-line, babe.” He looks at me and his nose is actually bleeding. “Not even for you.”

“First of all, don’t call me ‘babe’. And second, your nose is literally bleeding.”

“Oh,” Blue puts his hand to cover his nose. He sits down on the floor. “Do you have some tissue paper?”

Good thing we’re in Medbay. There’s an abundance of tissue paper here. I grabbed the closest one to me. Suddenly, the lights go out for a second and everything is red. Sirens started blaring from the halls. I checked our communication wrist-band, a green 2D hologram shoots up and in big capital letters spelled: REACTOR MELTDOWN. “Shit, come on,” I threw the tissue box carelessly at Blue and he manages to grab it anyway.

And then we ran, down the hall, making a left, straight to where the ringing was deafening. Tissues making a trail behind us, and Blue still has one of his hands covering his nose. When we got to Reactor, the rest of the crew isn’t there yet. Guess we’re going to have to save the day. I took the left side while Blue took the right one. We put our hands on the scanner and the sirens stop. The lights turn back to normal. Blue gives out a sigh of relief and immediately slumps down to the floor. I ran to him. “Blue!”

“I’m fine,” he laughs once I’m beside him. “I think I’m going to pass out though.”

I suppress a groan. Lord, don’t make me do this. I try to make the words come out, “I guess we should get you back to Medbay.” Every word feels like a stab to the stomach, and speaking from experience, I’ll let you know it is _significantly_ painful. “I’ll carry you.” I wrap my arms around him and lift him up. I can clearly see he’s enjoying me struggle.

We’re not two steps out of Reactor when I almost dropped him. “Oh, fuck. Ah! Sorry about that.”

His eyes opened wide, “What the— Hey. No need to fall for me too, Red.” He still manages a weak laugh.

“No,” I looked at him. “It’s not that. Can I possibly set you down on the floor again? Just for a minute.” I lowered him down. He whined. He _whined._ Like a puppy. Unbelievable. “For god’s sake. Look.” I turned his head to the room right in front of us and he goes silent. Security. Blood’s coming out of it. I can’t see the body. It’s hidden well in the shadows. The vent just clattered.

***

Purple slammed the table. “STATE YOUR TASKS!” she demanded. “ALL OF YOU!” Everyone recites their tasks perfectly. This has become common ritual. Everyone’s come prepared, even the impostors. Black and I memorize our tasks every morning, right before daily briefs. We never slip. Till today.

“Prime Shields, Swipe Card, Fix Wiring in Electrical, and then in Storage, and I was heading to Navi to chart our course. That’s when Red reported the body,” Black finishes her list.

“Repeat that last two,” Purple said.

“I was going to Navi, right after Storage.”

“No, no, the one before Storage. Where were you?”

“Electrical room, ma’am.”

Silence.

“How curious,” Purple stated. A wicked grin formed on her face. She’s not an Impostor, but damn, she looks the part. “I was just in Electrical a few minutes before the Reactor Meltdown. I was in there, all by myself. No one was out in the hallways or Storage until Red reported the body.” Purple looked at Black, her palms outstretched, like a game-show host presenting the prize behind Door Number Three. “Everyone, I think we’ve finally caught our first impostor,” she smiled. Black was struggling to keep a calm face. I know underneath she’s about to explode. “Give it up, Black, or whoever you are. You’ve terrorized us long enough. You’ve slaughtered our comrades. It’s time for you to pay.” Lime and Cyan, the other two crewmates who’ve survived this shithow, seem to murmur some sort of agreement. They took three steps away from Black.

Black took a step forward. “How dare you!“ she shouted over the table. Spit landing on Purple’s suit. “I’ve done nothing but do my job in this ship! I don’t know how you didn’t see me! But I swear I _was_ in Electrical when the sirens went out and halfway to Navi when the body was found. I’m innocent! You’ll _all_ be murderers if you eject me.”

Not true. Us impostors have had our biology enhanced to withstand the vacuum of space and survive without oxygen for a few hours. A pod from The Commission will be sent to our coordinates and we’ll be dropped back to headquarters. Back to a grueling month of strict training and 4 more months of climbing up the ranks to get another mission. Not to mention dozens of excruciating experimentations. At home—I mean, headquarters—once you’ve failed a mission, you’ve earned yourself a first-class ticket to be another one of The Commission’s lab subjects, or as we call it, A Leftover.

Still, even if we don’t die once we get voted out, once we’re thrown in the lab, we’re as good as dead. Those scientists don’t give two shits if the subjects fail and die in the process. Why would they, they’ve got tons of Leftovers to choose from.

I don’t want Black to end up there. I _want_ to defend her. Trouble is, I can’t provide a solid alibi. According to our tasks today, we shouldn’t be able to cross paths until the end of the day. I also didn’t get a single task at Security, so it’d be pointless to say I saw her through the cameras. Black’s always told me if I don’t have strong evidence, it’s better for me to stay quiet. I do.

“Black,” now it’s Lime who’s speaking. Her voice is somber. “I’m sorry, but all evidence leads to you. To be honest, I’ve always had my suspicions on you.” Cyan nods beside her, his hand on Lime’s shoulder.

“I guess we’re voting now?” Cyan asked to the rest of the crew.

“Nothing else to discuss. Let’s do it,” said Purple.

“WAIT!”

Everyone turned. It’s Blue, standing weakly from the west doorway. He’s supposed to be resting in Medbay. What the hell is he doing here?

The song from earlier played back in my head, _here comes your man._


	2. Another One Bites The Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue's safe. There's crying. Cyan feels guilty. Is that an Undertale reference? And finally, I'm not insensitive, it's just my coping mechanism.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY FRICK. First of all, thank you so much for your support. I don't know where you all come from. I remembered only 7 people responded to my tweet when I jokingly said I *might* write an Among Us fanfic. Nonetheless, I welcome all of you and am so grateful that you've enjoyed the story so far.  
> Secondly, HOLY FRICK, this chapter got emotional. Hang on to your feels.

“I was with Black!” he said while walking to the table. He has a slight limp, so I helped him. “Besides,” he said. “You can’t possibly start voting without me, can you?”

Everyone looked at each other and nods at him. “Alright, Blue. Waddya’ got?” Cyan asked. I grabbed a seat from a corner, and then set it up for Blue. He takes the seat and prompted his arm on the table. I hope this little shit knows what he’s doing.

“I was with Black. She and I were at Admin together for my first task. Swipe Cards, am I correct? Black was done with Shields and came in there. Lime was there too to download some data.” Black and Lime nods. “Lime left first. I was alone with Black. She could’ve killed me then.” He gives Black a look. “But she didn’t.”

“That doesn’t explain how I didn’t saw Black in Electrical,” Purple said stiffly, her arms are crossed.

“I saw her,” Blue said. “After Admin, I headed to Lower Engine for my second task. I passed Electrical and I stopped by to say hi to Black inside. She was busy fixing wires. There,” Blue said. “I’m vouching for her. She’s innocent.”

“Now that I think about it,” Cyan said, “was there anyone there confirming _your_ position in Electrical, Purple?”

Purple’s smile vanishes. “No.” She shifts a bit, looking at the ground. “I was there alone, just like I said. I must’ve just gone there after Blue went to Lower Engines. But I was there, Black wasn’t.”

“Well I didn’t see you either,” Black challenged. “I got an alibi. You don’t.”

“I was in admin by that time,” I finally spoke, even if it’s a lie. “I checked the sensors; there was only one person in Electrical.”

“IT WAS ME!” Black and Purple both shouted, each pointing at the other wildly. “SHE MUST’VE BEEN HIDING IN THE VENTS!”

“Alright, look,” Purple said. “Why the hell should we even believe Blue’s words? For all we know, he can be Black’s partner in crime. Remember, Ground Control informed us there were _two_ unidentified beings that have somehow got into the ship when we left Polus. It can be any one of us. No one should be trusted.”

“Well, we can’t cast everyone out,” I said. “The ejection pod has a cooldown of 5 hours. So it’s just you two,” I looked at Black and Purple.

Purple looks confused, she points at Blue with her thumb. “Uhh… What about him?”

“Blue’s safe,” I said. Black raises her eyebrows. “He came to Medbay while I was doing my tasks there. Alone. Gave me a fright, but at least it wasn’t a dagger to the throat.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “He’s innocent.”

Blue shifts in his seat and looks up at me. He touches the hand I have on his shoulder and he smiles. It’s hard to look at him when he’s like this. So clueless and smiling like an idiot. “Thanks,” he says.

I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Purple, looks like you’re the only person here that don’t have a solid evidence. I’m voting you off.”

Black raises her hand, “Ditto.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” Purple said while forcing a smile. “I vote for Black.”

Cyan’s the next one. It took about 5 minutes for him to finally utter the words. “I’m voting Purple.” He couldn’t even look at her when he says it. “I’m sorry. Blue would never lie. I trust him.” He shifts in his spot and looks at Lime and touches her shoulder softly. “You ready, love?”

Lime actually broke down. She shivers at Cyan’s touch and tears fell on her pretty face, like a thunder before a storm. She ran to Purple, sobbing and hitting Purple’s chest over and over with her weak fists. “Tell me,” she cries. Her words are slurred. “Tell me it wusn’t y-you. It _can’t_ be you. There must be someone who saw you today. You were, you were like my big sister. Just last week we—And Orange, you two were close. You’d never, ever hurt him…” Lime ends up hugging Purple. She hugged her too, they’re both crying. They stayed like that for a whole minute.

Purple was the first to let go. Lime walks back to Cyan. He hugged her. She wipes her tears with her sleeve. “I’ll skip,” she said softly.

Now it’s up to Blue. Everyone looks at him. It doesn’t really matter, Purple’s as good as dead. The room knows it. This is a great loss—for the others, not me. Purple wasn’t their original captain. It was Green, and he was our first victim— _mine_ , to be specific. It shook the whole crew when they found his body. Nobody was the same after that, not completely. Paranoia struck the ship for days on end. They couldn’t sleep or eat properly. For some, eating made them nauseous, while others couldn’t stop stuffing themselves.

I can’t blame them; I’ve been there.

Most of the crewmates seem to give up on their tasks. They messed up a lot more often. Black and I thought we’ve won already. We could get back to headquarters in three days’ time, and we’ll get promoted—maybe even a raise! I could, I could visit my little sister. It’s been so long. Impostors who’ve impressed The Commission get a day or two off, a special and priceless gift.

But of course, nothing good ever comes to those who’ve sinned. It’s always an _illusion_ of a good thing.

Everything seemed hopeless—Yellow’s corpse was found at O2, and White was killed at Navi—And Purple couldn’t take it anymore. She took charge and filled Green’s place. No one questioned her, maybe it was because she was the oldest, or the recent tragedies shook the crew and made them very vulnerable of manipulation (probably the latter). She made new rules and they just went along with it. She was the one who made the initiative to vote people out if they looked suspicious or guilty, modeling after her own experiences on board previous impostor infested ships.

***

Purple was ejected immediately after Blue said the words. Lime couldn’t stand watching, so she gave Purple one last hug, Purple whispered something to her. Then Lime ran to our sleeping quarters before she started sobbing again. The room went bleak in an instant. We’ve only ejected one other person before Purple, and when they got the news that Pink was not the impostor, no one wanted to play the blame game anymore. They couldn’t handle the guilt of casting their own crew again. They’ve skipped on every meeting over and over for weeks.

A shame, really, that there isn’t some automatic confirmation mechanism to instantly tell if they’ve ejected the right person or not. Maybe the ejection pod could glow to different colors if they’ve successfully ejected a normal human crewmate. Or maybe there could be rays of light projected to space and spell the words ‘Purple Was Not An Impostor, 2 Impostors Remain.’ Or maybe even a simple glowing neon sign spelling ‘Geeettttttt Dunked On’ if they got it wrong.

You know, for reassurance.

Fortunately for me and Black, these crewmates have to wait a day or two for their precious Ground Control to run a scan and inform them if the ‘Unidentified Beings’ are still on the ship. Their travel of data from earth across space is still ridiculously sluggish compared to what The Commission is capable of.

Purple has started to freeze outside the ship. Her body’s gone stiff, a complete 180 from her screaming and struggling and endless cussing when Blue and I secured her into the ejection pod.

Almost everyone’s left to continue their tasks. It was just me and Cyan. We stared off the huge window of The Skeld. “Lime’s never going to forgive me,” he said suddenly, more to himself if I’m being honest. His hands are on his face, he looks like he’s about to cry. “I voted to cast out her closest friend. I mean, I have my reasons, I do. Purple didn’t have an alibi today. No one was with her. And Blue’s been nothing but a great co-worker and helped me get back up after Green was gone. I wanted to skip, but there are only five of us left. I can’t risk letting a monster loose in our ship this time. I can’t risk losing my Lime.” He looked at me, there’re tears in his eyes. “Sorry, I must be talking your ear off,” he said as he wiped his tears.

“No, not at all,” I quickly said. “I don’t mind just listening.”

“Well, I should go.” He patted me on the back. “I need to align the engines. Good talk, Red.”

***

I headed to electrical. According to my tasks, I’m supposed to be calibrating the distributors there. There was the sound of humming from the inside. The annoying slab of wall dividing the room prevented me from seeing the source of the sound. I don’t have anything to fear, I’m the monster in this ship. As I walked closer to the sound, the humming gets clearer, and it took me a minute to recognize the song…

“Out of the doorway the bullets rip, To the sound of the beat, yeah.”

I step forward quietly; I don’t want to interrupt him.

“Another one bites the dust.” It’s Blue. He’s fixing some wires, and slightly dancing. “Another one bites the dust.” He’s listening to my iPod. I must’ve left it in Medbay earlier. And he’s wearing those shitty headphones from Communications. “And another one gone, and another one gone, Another one bites the dust.”

Precious.

I stepped closer. “Don’t you think that’s a bit insensitive?” I said. “One of your friends just got murdered, and another one got shot out to space. The least you could do is play _Only The Good Die Young._ Much more appropriate.”

He stopped dancing. He stared at me and smiled. “Maybe,” he said as he took off the headphones. “It doesn’t make this song less of a banger.”

“It’s Queen, you can’t expect anything less than a banger from Queen,” I replied and smiled back at him. He hands the iPod to me. I take it. “Still, seeing you dance after two of our friends died makes me very uncomfortable. Blue,” I crossed my arms and took a step forward, “are you the Imp?”

Blue’s smile vanished, he took a step back. But he quickly managed to put on a cocky grin. “Why, yes. I am indeed the Imp,” he said confidently. “The S-Imp. For you…” His eyebrows did a little wiggle.

I want to punch him for how bad that pun was.

But for god knows whatever reason, I started laughing. So much so that I doubled over and had to hold on to my stomach. “You’re a complete git, for god’s sake,” I said between laughs.

Blue opened his mouth, but I can’t hear. There was a loud noise from the front of the room. We ran to the other side of the wall. The door’s locked.


	3. Space Oddity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red calls Blue a bitch. Platonic dancing. Bowie saves the day. Red's face turns red.
> 
> Enter: The Vent Gods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might be my favorite so far because of how fun it was to write (and hint hint, the title is from my favorite singer). I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

Blue stared at me in horror and stumbles back. The helmet he left on the floor made him loss his footing and tripped. “Red,” he choked out, still trying to get deeper into Electrical. He tried to crawl backwards with his hands, like a scared and confused crab. “You— _you’re_ the Impostor.”

“No.” It came out instinctively. I could’ve just said yes, and strike the killing blow. But my mouth seems to disagree. I calmly follow his frantic crawling to the back of the room. I leaned down and took a knee in front of him; I try to look into his eyes. It’s hard, mostly because I’m still wearing my helmet and he doesn’t know where to look. “Blue,” I said after grabbing both his hands in mine. He shuts up. “I’m not the impostor, of course not.”

Blue paused. “I mean,” he said, “at least if it had to come to this, I’m glad it’s you.” His lips stretched into a smile but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. This smile was different. But at least his voice sounded much calmer. “I won’t mind if it’s you the last thing I see.” He chuckled. I hate it when he chuckles. “How can I? You’re the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see before bed. I’ve looked at you in millions of ways and I have loved you in each, even this one.”

“No,” I said and my grip on his hands softened.

What. My mind goes blank. What is he saying? Loved me? I look at him. “How could you lov—“

He punched me.

He caught me off-guard and I got knocked over. My helmet cracks. It didn’t hurt, but still. “You little bitch,” I cursed and took off my helmet. I threw it to the side. He tried to hit me again, but I’m ready. I grab his fist instantly, keeping it in the air with ease.

“You’re strong,” he said with a hint of surprise and a grin on his face. “Wow.”

“Look,” I said, my grip tightening. “I’m not the impostor, and I’m not going to kill you.”

“Oh,” he said. “Alright.” He lowered his arms. “I trust you.” I released him and he checks his wrists for marks, I might’ve been too rough. He inches to the side of the room and leans back to a wall. “What now?”

“Really?” I stood up and dust off my suit. “You tried to punch me, damaging my helmet and possibly killing me if god forbids the oxygen goes haywire, and all you can say for yourself is ‘What now’? Are you _fucking_ kidding me, Blue?”

“Well, I trust you. I trust that you aren’t the Impostor,” Blue said.

Suddenly, he stood up. Too fast, because he stumbled backwards and had to hold his head in his hands and blinked a few times. “THE IMPOSTORS,” he boomed. “THAT MEANS THEY’RE STILL OUTSIDE. Two—or maybe even one—of our friends is out there, alone with them. We’ve got to get out. _Now_.”

Lime and Cyan might as well be dead a few minutes ago. Black was quick with her revolver—she was a feared gunslinger in The Commission after all. But I still can’t be able to tell Blue that. He’s already panicking like a madman. Hyperventilating and all. Walking around the room frantically, trying every switch and opening and closing power boards. Looking for anything to help us escape the room. I’ve never seen him like this. Then he tried throwing himself against the door over and over like a human ram. (As if that would work.) He’s going to hurt himself.

I hurried myself to his side. “Blue, stop.” I told him. “This isn’t going to work, and you still haven’t fully recovered your leg. You’re going to pass out.”

He doesn’t listen.

“Blue, stop,” I repeated. I attempted holding him in place. Shake him out of it, maybe. Still nothing. His efforts just became stronger and more violent; it’s terrifying to watch.

I look around the room, for something, anything. Then I remembered, in the pocket of my suit. I reached down and pulled the cables out first, and finally, my iPod. I quickly untangled the earphones and immediately try to find the song I’m looking for. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. _Ah._

I put one earphone on and rushed to Blue. He stopped smashing to the door, I take this as a chance to turn him around, share the earphone with him and take him by the hand.

I have no idea what I’m doing.

But I’m the one leading, so that’s a win. The soft strums of guitar had started. Blue looked so confused. It’s amusing. So, second win right there. And then, Bowie’s voice came, and everything else just turns to background noise and set dressing.

_Ground Control to Major Tom_

_Take your protein pills and put your helmet on_

“What song is this?” he laughs. “And Red, what are we even doing?”

I told him to shut up. He did.

_(Ten, nine, eight, seven, six)_

_Commencing countdown, engines on_

“It’s nice.”

“Shush.”

_(five, four, three)_

_Check ignition, and may God’s love be with you_

_(two, one, liftoff)_

If people saw what Blue and I are doing right now, they would probably say that we’re dancing. I refuse that term. No, this isn’t dancing; it’s… it’s keeping your friend from killing himself by being a bloody idiot and ramming into a door over and over.

Besides, we’re practically just holding hands and shimmying side to side. Totally platonic. Just friends, nothing more.

 _Friends._ Wait, _are_ we friends? I mean, I’m going to have to kill him, and that’s not typically a friend-thing to do. Whatever, we kept danc—I mean, _shimmying_ together.

_For here_

_Am I sitting on a tin can_

_Far above the world_

I’ll never admit it to Blue, but he’s right.

_Planet earth is blue_

This _is_ nice.

_And there's nothing I can do_

Blue huffs and finally breaks from me. He gives me back his half of the earphone. “Thanks, Red,” he smiled. “But now,” he said, walking back to the locked door, “is time to put that back in your rocket and help me find a way out.” He sat down in front of it, trying to look for little cracks and dents. There aren’t any.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “put what—you mean this iPod?—in my what?”

Blue gestures to the front pocket of my suit. “Rocket,” he grinned.

I groan. “Puns. Seriously? Now?!”

“There is no bad time for puns.”

I wanted to argue, but that would just be a waste of time. I put back the iPod to my suit and join Blue near the door. “Found anything?”

“No luck,” he said, and his voice sounded miserable. “Oh! What did Purple and Black said earlier?”

“'You’ll die in a fire in hell with all your ribs individually broken by Satan and your spinal cords filled with cement if you eject me’?” I parroted Purple from earlier.

“No.”

“ 'The birds will peck your eyes and carry you to its nest as fresh meat you dumb shits’?”

“No, Jesus Christ,” Blue snapped. “Why would you remember those parts?”

“They were very creative and specific.”

“They are, but _no_ ,” he said. “The vents! Black and Purple said there were vents here.” Blue started moving around the room again. “Help me look for them.”

I know where the vents are. I’ve used them and navigated them hundreds of times now. It won’t help—at least, it won’t help Blue.

“Over here!” Blue shouted from the back of the room. “I found it. It won’t budge. A little help, please?”

I went to the vent, Blue was in front of it, trying as hard as he can to get it opened. Even if he had his full strength back, he won’t be able to open it. The vents are sealed tight. Only the impostors can get in there.

Blue moved over and let me get my hands on the vent. I saw a rat scurry away when I gripped the opening. I easily removed the latch door and Blue looks at me with utter amazement.

“I was feeling a little bit off today,” Blue said, “but you definitely turned me on.”

“Just get in the vent,” I said with gritted teeth while trying to suppress the rushed blood to my face. It won’t work.

Blue got in the vent. It didn’t work. “Ouch,” his voice echoes from inside the vent seconds after he just jumped in. His head resurfaces immediately. “It’s too crammed inside, and it’s so dark the—Hold on, are you _blushing_ right now?”

“No.”

“You never blush when I try my pick-up-lines, but you’re clearly blushing now.”

“Am not.”

“You’re lucky there’s no mirror, or else I’ll have solid evidence.”

“Shut up.”

Blue hauled himself up the vent. He stretched his back and sat down near me. There was zero possibility for him to try and go in the vents. Like he said, it’s damned crammed inside. The only thing moving down there is rats—and mutated humans that can reshape and mold their lower body half to fit the beauty standards of the Vent Gods until they are deemed worthy enough to travel through them.

“Who fucking designed this ship?” Blue threw his hands up in the air, exasperated.

“The Vent Gods,” I said under my breath.

“What?” Blue turned to me.

“Nothing.”

“Well, they didn’t do a very good job to planet properly.”

“Was that another pun?”

Blue stupidly grinned at me and shrugged. I hate this man with a burning passion. I decided to move to the other side of the room, it was much more spacious, so I lay there on my back and my hands on my stomach. I took my iPod out of my rocket—I mean, pocket. Damnit—worried I might crush it.

“No, seriously,” Blue’s words can still be heard from behind the wall, “who in the flipping fuck makes a ship with wonky doors? And those impostors! Why do they get to be so smart? Hacking into the system and shit. Smartass bastards. How long do these things usually last? I heard that time Lime and Cyan were stuck in the Cafeteria for four hours.”

“Yeah… about 2-4 hours.”

Blue groaned, then silence; a long silence. I thought he might have fallen asleep. Or hell, died of exhaustion? But then I heard him stand up. He makes his way to where I am and _dares_ to lie beside me. We lay in opposite directions, our head are the closest thing connecting us. “Red,” he said once he finally made himself comfortable. “I have a confession.”

“Go on.” I closed my eyes.

“I regret voting off Purple. I—I know she isn’t the impostor.” I almost jolt up when he said that. “I was just…,” he takes a deep breath. “I was scared.”

“Of Purple?” I asked him.

“No,” he said slowly. “I’m scared of Black.”


	4. Space Oddity - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ghosts aren't real." Blue re-evaluates his life choices. Red considers murder. Boys don't cry My Ass. Hold on, Red's been pining?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise The Vent Gods! Chapter 4's finally here! Don't worry, I won't abandon this fic. (I love my babies too much.) This one took longer because I still have school and emotions got to me. Also, the original chapter 4 was going to be 3000 words longer than this one, but I decided to cut it and move that to later chapters. So, this one might look really short, but Chapter 5 is coming sooner than expected.
> 
> OK, that's it, happy reading!

“Wh-what do you mean you’re scared of Black? You just defended her today!” I raised my voice at him.

“I _lied_ ,” he confessed. “There, I said it, I lied. I didn’t saw Black in electrical. After Admin, I went straight to Medbay through Cafeteria.” Blue sighed. “I went to see you.”

“Still,” I said, trying to ignore that last part, “why are you scared of her?”

“She just does, you know?” I don’t. “She gives off that _vibe_.”

“What _vibe_?” I pressed.

“She looks like the kind of person who’d come back from the dead to haunt me. Voting her out would be useless.”

“Blue, I’m sorry.” I sighed and got up on my elbows to look at him properly. “But that’s next level dumb. At least if she becomes a ghost, she won’t be able to kill you.” I laid down again, this time using one of my arms to cushion my head.

“You don’t know that.”

“Ghosts aren’t _real_ , Blue.”

“You don’t know that either.”

Quiet again.

Well not exactly. I can clearly hear Blue’s breathing because of how damn close he is and how he’s a fucking mouth-breather. I stay quiet, and try to close my eyes again.

“Hey, Red,” Blue spoke. “I meant what I said.” And my heart did a little backflip when he said that. “That dance was really nice.” Nevermind. ”What song was that? Who’s Major Tom?”

“David Bowie,” I answered. “That song was by David Bowie. It’s called Space Oddity, I use it to calm my sister down when she throws her tantrums. And for the record, we weren’t dancing. I just didn’t want you to get hurt. You were being an idiot, and I didn’t want you to off yourself by accident.”

“You didn’t have to though. I would’ve stopped if you just said so.”

“No, you wouldn’t. I shook you five separate times while shouting ‘STOP’ and you didn’t quit for one second.”

“Oh, you did?” he turned to me.

I grumbled under my breath.

“It’s just—“ Blue fidgeted with his hands, and his suit made a fuss over every movement. “It’s just that, I’m—I’m losing my shit, you know? When I decided to become an astronaut, I didn’t know it would be this… life-threatening. I mean, I know about these Impostors—they’ve been plaguing space exploration for the last—what—twenty years? ”

“Eighteen,” I corrected.

“Yeah, close enough,” Blue continued. “I thought…Well, I thought it would be a really small chance of an Impostor sneaking in on a ship. I mean, they were still considered rare tragedies when I was still a cadet. But oh, here we are. Heh-heh,” he threw his hands up in the air and choked out a weak laugh. “Heh... Trapped in space with murderers and all our friends are probably... probably dead.

“I don’t understand. What the hell do they want? Why do they have to kill us? Kill all of us? Are they hungry? If they’re so hungry, why do they even have to pretend being one of us? Why can’t they just eat us all and spare the trouble of hiding among us? Ruining friendships and destroying trust—making me doubt every single thing in my life.”

If he wasn’t crying earlier, he’s definitely crying now. He turned away as his face turned red, and rolled away till he reached the wall.

This is my chance.

I held myself up and inch towards him. He’s shivering and I can feel his grief, minutes of sobbing broken apart by short pauses of recovering breaths. He’s so vulnerable.

I took off my gloves and reached forward, and let my hands do their magic. My skin deforms itself, the flesh inside slowly taking over the surface. Growing out like dark, bloody roots—escaping its prison. Like a blooming flower. White thorns that can be mistaken as teeth covered the inside. It’s horrific, but I had it for so long that it comes as natural as flicking a finger.

He stops crying and I pause.

He whispers, “You scare me, you know.”

“What?” I quickly retreat my hand and it instantly turned back to normal.

He turned to look at me. “You scare me,” he said, but he doesn’t look scared.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I tell you things I can’t even tell myself.” A single tear dropped down his cheek, but he’s smiling. He always tries to smile. He smiles like it’s free. “I’m honestly a mess,” he said.

A mess, he said. A _mess._

I’m not buying it. If there’s a ‘mess’ in this ship, it’s definitely me.

I mean, why can’t I just do it? Why can’t I end his suffering right now? Why can’t I end mine? It should be easy. It’s always been easy. I’ve killed dozens and dozens of crewmates before, I’ve set a goal of having my 100th kill before next year. _Easy._

But Blue makes a point. Why are we doing this? What does the Commission even want? I’m surprised I never questioned it. Nor has any Impostor I’ve met ever discussed it. Black’s been doing this gig longer than I have. Maybe she knows. I wonder how she got her start.

For me, it was a given. My parents died when I was young, I had nowhere to go, but my big brother did. He was one of the first Impostors deployed; he did that to provide for me and my little sister for years. He got us a nice little flat in the outskirts of Innersloth—the capital of our planet, home of The Commission—not too fancy, but at least a roof over our heads. He gave me enough time to sign up and enroll to become an Impostor. In my last years of training, my brother got tired and exhausted—he was getting old. He failed mission after mission and so, he ended up a Leftover much more often. One day, the experiments were too much and his body couldn’t take it.

There was no funeral. We just got a jar of ash sent to our door.

I wasn’t mad at him for coming back home like that. I wasn’t mad at the Commission either, surprisingly. He knew what they were doing to him—to his body. He knew the risks. I knew the risks.

I still do.

That’s why I work so hard on this job. So my sister doesn’t have to. She can do whatever she wants. Maybe open a flower shop, or an art studio. I wonder what she’s doing right now. I’m worried for her.

“Hey,” Blue said, his voice was so quiet I thought I was imagining it.

He sat up. “I’m here,” he whispered. “You can talk to me or not talk to me, but I’m here.”

He is. He’s here—with me, stuck in a spaceship with murderers outside. Scratch that, he’s sitting _next_ to a murderer right now.

To be honest, I don’t get it. By the way we’ve observed and monitored the crew for months, Blue has always been the confident one too. He was kind to everybody, excelled on his tasks, and almost everyone liked him. He didn’t have a close friend he sticks with though, not like Lime with Cyan or Purple with Orange. He didn’t have anyone, and he didn’t try to _look_ for one either.

That is, until I took Red’s place.

I didn’t know what he wanted at first. I thought he knew something was off with me. He’d sniffed it out somehow. But no, he kept me close, but not because he was suspicious, no. He was… fond of me—as weird as that sounds. He would look at me with bright eyes full of wonder, and talk to me about pointless subjects just for the sake of it, and he would either complement me on how good I am with my tasks or help me get through them. He would follow me everywhere and I’d let him.

Sometimes even—dare I say it—I let my mind wonder to a place where I’m just a simple Crewmate like him. We’d work together, and I don’t need to kill him. (Or anyone for that matter.) He doesn’t need to know the real me. And when I let myself slip too far, I wish to the stars we’d never met. I wish he never told me his stupid jokes, or flirted with me like there’s no tomorrow, I wish he never acted so damn nice all the time. I wish he never left earth.

I took a deep breath. “Blue,” I started, “I don’t know why the Impostors are after us. I don’t know what they want either. I want to know the answers too, but I don’t. And unfortunately there’s no one here that knows. For now, there’s only you, and I want to know what do _you_ want? Why did you become an astronaut, Blue?”

“Can we play that song again?” he asked me.

“Song?”

“Yeah, the one with Major Tom in it,” he said while smiling. “It was really calming and, um, I think I need it again?”


	5. Never Gonna Give You Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Childhood trauma. Emotional support hand-holding. Red gets ready for a second punch. This chapter is indeed a rickroll, but that won't stop you. Is this where the bad stuff happens?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize in advance QwQ 
> 
> PEACE, Y'ALL

“Sure,” I said. “Give me those headphones you had earlier.” Blue hands it over. I plugged it into the iPod and turned up the volume a bit. It’s like a tiny speaker. Now we can listen to the music without sharing earphones. I restarted the song and set it down between us. The song plays for a while before Blue opens his mouth.

“My mom,” he started. “She was an astronomer. She taught me about the stars and different galaxies and how the universe is essentially endless. She said she always wanted to be an astronaut, but she never got the chance. I was 11 when I lost her. Her last words to me were ‘Look for me in the stars’,” Blue said wistfully.

“So I did,” he said with mirth in his voice. “I dedicated my studies and strived to get in the MIRA recruitment program. Started with an engineering degree then moved on to computer science and math. When my admission got accepted, I couldn’t believe it, I mean, I barely passed the required ACT and GPA scores. The lady that interviewed me said she admired my enthusiasm and my dedication from such a young age. What’s left is history. You know the rest.”

I nod. Even though I have no idea what happened next. I mean, we didn’t spy on him his entire life. I don’t know what he had to go through to get in MIRA. I didn’t know what happened to his mom.

“How about you?” he turns to me and asked. “What made you come to space, Red?”

“Me?” OK, OK, I’ve practiced this. “I was tasked to examine the nutrients in Polus’s soil and the possibility of using it back on earth to substitute our own rapidly-polluted lands. White and I were sent from the Edaphology and Agriculture sector.”

“No,” he shakes his head. “I mean, well, yes but no. I know what you’re here for, Red. All of us were sent for the Polus mission to examine the planet. I mean, why did you _come_ to space?”

“I’m telling you, earth is dying and we need to find other ways to restore the ecosystem there. You know the spiel.”

“And… nothing else? That’s it. You’re here solely for the expedition’s sake?”

“Yes,” I breathed and turned away from him.

“Wow,” he’s shaking his head, and his voice paints a smile. “You’re so selfless.”

I caved and think about that word for a second. _Selfless._ How dare he use that word. I can feel my sins catch up to me, crawling up my back, and all my victims flash before me; Green, Yellow, and dozens of others from hundreds of other ships. Red. The _real_ Red.

 _He’s_ the selfless one. Black and I threw him into the convenient magma chamber back in Polus. He begged for mercy, but we never had any to begin with.

“No, I’m not selfless,” I said to him. “I’m here for my sister; and because of my brother. He was uh, a crewmate in MIRA a long time ago. Growing up, I had no idea what I wanted to be, but my brother was an esteemed pilot in MIRA, and, well, I wanted to be like him, his good name helped me get in. There was no way I could pass on that. I wanted the glory he had,” I tried to explain, trying as hard as I can to come up with MIRA equivalents of the Commission. “When he died, I had nowhere to go but continue my career here. If I didn’t, there’d be no one left to provide for me and my little sister.”

“You don’t have your parents anymore?”

“No.”

“Your sister,” he said. “How old is she?”

I turned around to look at him, open my mouth, and freeze. “I—I can’t remember.” I really don’t. “Maybe nine? Ten?”

“How could you not remember how old your own sister is?” he hollered at me. He’s making that stupid face where he tries to look angry. It never works. His smile always tries to slip out.

The song on the iPod’s changed to something poppy I don’t remember putting in.

“I haven’t visited her for three years, I mean, we video call but that’s it,” I said with a shrug. “Oh, and we don’t celebrate birthdays.”

“That is tragic. I’m so sorry for you both.” And I think he means it. “Have you at _least_ eaten cake before?”

“Neither of us likes cake.”

Blue gasped. “What hellhole did you two spawn from?”

“Cake is overrated,” I argued. “Get bagels. Or pasta.”

“But I’m—I’m allergic to tomato sauce.”

“Get the bagels, then.”

“I refuse to eat unsugared bread.”

“Privileged.”

“Jupiter take that back!”

Wait, what? I had to back away and process what he just said. I recoil once I realized it. _Oh._ “I fucking hate you. You did _not_ just throw me off with a pun.”

“Oh, shuttle fuck up.”

“No, _you_ ‘shuttle’ fuck up with the freakin puns.”

“ _Comet_ me, bro,” he dared as he threw up his hands at me. Damn, he’s on a roll today.

“That’s it.” I was about to jump on him when Blue reached for my hand.

“You took off your glove?” he said, eyeing me and my hand.

Shit. “Oh. There were some… uh, crumbs from breakfast that got inside,” I said. “It was really bothering me—had to shake them out.” Before I can reach for my gloves and put them back on, Blue stops me.

“Wait,” he said. “Can I uh, hold you, first?”

My stomach’s turn to mush as those words left his mouth. I can feel my cheeks getting hot, my face heating up. This is what happens when I get frustrated.

“H-Hold me?” I said in gritted teeth.

“I mean, your hand,” he said. “Hold your hand. Of course, I meant hand—not you. Unless…” Blue stops once he realizes I’m staring at him. My wrist is still hovering across his palm. I’m trying to wrap my head around what he possibly wants from holding my hand. Did it made him feel better? Emotional support? He keeps mumbling nonsense. It’s adorable.

“Shhh.”

“I just—“

“Hush.”

“I mean—“

“It’s fine.”

“But—“

“Blue.”

“Red?”

“Here.”

I offer my hand.

He takes it.

Our fingers interlace—barely. His hand is soft, but bumpy at the same time. His fingers are lanky, but the thumb is a giant. It’s littered with freckles and blotches. Veins are faintly visible, running through like spilled ink. It’s an artwork—and I can’t stop looking at it.

Blue plays with our hands—flipping it over and over. “My father would be very disappointed if he was here right now,” he mused.

I rest my back to the wall and stretch out my legs. “He didn’t approve of you being gay?” I raised our hands a little to the light. “I mean, we’re only holding hands.”

“He never said it, but,” he sighed. “Action speaks louder than words, right?”

“But he knows?”

“Yup. It was messy, that afternoon, he told me he doesn’t really care. But things were never the same after that,” he said. “He was already disappointed that I wanted to be an astronaut instead of continuing the family business. Then he got the news I won’t continue the family bloodline at all. Now we just meet every Christmas, and the occasional time when he needs a loan.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Yeah, but he hasn’t loss _complete_ hope though. My younger brother, Jerome, is straight—he’ll continue the family name. Plus he’s very enthusiastic in carpentry. Easily father’s favorite. Sadly we never talk either.”

“And your mom?” I asked him. “How did she handle it?”

“She was… already gone when I found out.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said. “I don’t think she’d mind, to be honest. Besides, I’ve found her.”

I blink a few times. “What?”

He squeezes my hand, I like the way it fits in mine.

“Alright, this might sound crazy—but hear me out.” He gazes at me. “When your eyes meet mine, I hear a voice—my mother’s voice—whisper to my heart; and she says to me, ‘ _Him._ ’ ”

I sat there, speechless.

“OK,” I said slowly. “Are you gonna punch me again?”

He snorts and takes back his hand. “Oh, fuck you. I’m sorry, OK?” he said. “I didn’t mean to punch you. I was acting impulsive and stupid. My survival instincts got to me.”

A smile formed on my face and I laugh with him. “I can confirm on the stupid,” I laughed. “You’re a bloody idiot, but survival instincts? No… you don’t have a drop of that. And that whole thing about loving me in millions of angles…” I snickered. “You didn’t mean that one either then, huh?”

Blue keeps laughing weakly. “No, no. Of course, not—I mean, yes. I mean no. UGH, look,” he puts his hand on his temple and pinches his nose. “How do I put this—you’re the thing, Red,” he started. “You’re the thing that keeps me going. I don’t know why or how, but you sorta changed a few months ago. I saw you in a different light suddenly. A voice tapped my heart and pointed at you.” His gaze shifts from me to the floor.

“You’ve been the only reason why I wake up every morning with a smile. You’re always in my head. I miss you _so much_ whenever I don’t talk to you. It feels like I’ll forget your face when I’m not with you, like you’d disappear. I’m sorry, but, I can’t even imagine life itself without you in it. I just can’t, because you make me feel special—and I love that feeling. Christ, it sends me to a high I’ve never been on—and I know I can’t have you. I know you’ll leave me… eventually. Everyone does. I’m just—I know I’m so annoying, and stupid, and have nothing interesting to say. I’m constantly so afraid that I’m a bad person, living each day with guilt and self-doubt. Feeling like I’m stuck in a monster’s body and there’s nothing I can do about it. Everybody leaves, and it’s _my_ fault.

But when it comes to you… I don’t know, Red. You make me forget about all that. People say ‘You can’t love someone unless you love yourself first.’ Bullshit. I have never loved myself. But you—Oh god, I love you so much I forget what hating myself felt like.”

“But you should,” I finally said once I found my breath. Somehow, those are the only words I can muster. “Why are you even telling me this?”

“Because why waste time, y’know?” he replied and he closed his eyes to avoid my gaze. “Life is short and my feelings are genuine. And so what if you leave me? I’ve gotten used to it.”

The room goes quiet, the only sound coming from my iPod and the appliances in the back of the room. The lights are dim—it’s always dim in Electrical. It makes it difficult to identify your Crewmates. And at this moment, especially right now, it makes me even doubt if he’s even sitting beside me. He feels so far away, but just as I try to reach for him, I recognize the start of the hushed song coming from my iPod.

“No, Blue,” I smiled and inch towards him. “I’m not going to leave you. Never.”

“How do you know that?” he grunted. His face still locked to the ground, tears silently dropping to the floor.

I start to gently sing with the tune, “ _We’re no strangers to love. You know the rules and so do I.”_

Blue mumbles along. “ _A full commitment’s what I’m thinking of,”_ and I can’t stop myself from filling in with, “ _You wouldn’t get this from any other guy.”_

He finally looks up to found me already standing in front of him, a hand outstretched. “ _I… just wanna tell you how I’m feeling._ ” Blue taps his feet to the beat while I sing, “ _Gotta make you understand.”_

“ _Never gonna give you up.”_ Blue takes my hand. “ _Never gonna let you down._ ” And I pull him up. “ _Never gonna run around and desert you.”_ And the smile he gives me—oh, that smile—it puts the sun to shame.

“ _Never gonna make you cry_ ,” I sing as I wipe his tears.

“ _Never gonna say goodbye,”_ he continues as he touches my hand.

“ _Never gonna tell a lie,”_ we sing, _“and hurt you.”_

He tries to recreate the dance—and failing hilariously. “ _We’ve known each other,”_ he sings, “ _for so long.”_

“No, we don’t,” I said quickly. He ignores it.

“ _Your heart’s been aching, but,”_ he continues, “ _You’re too shy to say it._ ”

“More like ‘you’ than ‘me’“

“ _Inside we both know what’s been going on.”_

I roll my eyes and smile at him. _“We know the game and we’re gonna play it.”_

He keeps singing, louder now, enough that I have to turn up the volume of the iPod. His voice is off key and terrible, and his dancing is even worse. His hips sway here and there, and he has no idea how to move his arms. He’s like a tornado.

And I’m hopelessly in love with him.

I sit there, beside the iPod and the headphones, just watching. His bronze hair glints with the dim multicolored lights of the room. His eyes are closed but I know he’s enjoying himself. His voice is terrible but he doesn’t care. Eventually, he notices me on the floor. He gestures for me to get up. “Dance with me, Red,” he said. “Please.”

I do.

My foot taps with the rhythm, while slightly mumbling the lyrics, at the third verse I let my feet lead me. My shoulders bop up and down and I try to mimic Blue’s weird hip swinging. He’s laughing at me and I laugh back. The room suddenly feels so bright, and Blue’s at the center. My head spins and I can feel the rush of adrenaline.

_Never gonna give you up_

_Never gonna let you down_

Before I knew it, Blue has grabbed both of my elbows, and I’ve grabbed onto his. We do this back-and-forth banter like a seesaw. It’s extremely ridiculous but I’ve never felt this happy.

_Never gonna run around and desert you_

“You’re a tornado,” I told Blue.

“What?” he asked with a chuckle.

“You’re a tornado,” I repeated. “A tornado with pretty eyes and a heartbeat.”

“You’re not too bad yourself.”

“You know I’m falling in love with you, right?”

For a moment I can’t believe I said that, then—

THUD!

“Are you alright?” I rushed to him.

It was careless of me to just throw away my helmet earlier, because Blue just stumbled back and tripped on it. I swear he’s either abnormally clumsy or he’s cursed by some unknown God ~~for plot development.~~ (Curse those Vent Gods.)

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he said. “Kind of forgot about my leg there. Probably best to get some more rest.”

“Yeah.” I helped him walk to the back of the room. He asks to sit under the calibrators; he said he doesn’t mind the muffled buzzing, which reminds me to grab my iPod and turn down the volume. I make a place for myself a few feet in front of him. “I’ll stay right here, yeah?”

Blue glances at me and nods. “You know, I’m kind of hungry,” Blue muttered. “Too bad we weren’t lucky enough to be trapped in the Cafeteria like Cyan and… Lime.” Blue’s figure starts to tremble and his form closes in. “Man, I really hope everyone’s, um, fine out there—except for the impostor, of course. Just—”

“Hey, don’t worry,” I told him. “I think,” I reached down to my pockets, “I think I got something edible here.” My hand returns with a small pack of Ritz crackers I snagged earlier from the Cafeteria. I opened it and offer Blue the whole thing. He took it immediately and starts munching. He eats like a dog—a dog you want to slip the tongue.

Blue hands over the box to me and I snapped out of my erotic fantasy. “I’m sorry, are you hungry?” he asks after a swallow. (OK, let me tell you something real quick. His swallow—Blue’s swallow—it’s a whole scene. Blue has the longest neck and the showiest swallow I’ve ever seen on a normal human being. His chin pops outwards and his Adam’s apple catches. It’s fantastic.) He shakes the box and I can tell there’s probably only three left inside. How considerate.

“Thank you,” I grinned furiously, “for your immense generosity, but you can have it.”

He shrugs and finishes the crackers. He set the box aside and his eyes start to close and he’s already asleep. I watch him for some time and try to process what the hell I’m feeling. I can tell it isn’t bad, I feel good—like, really good.

Great.

Fantastic.

Brilliant!

I never thought this was even possible. How, when I see his eyes, people would just say it’s brown, but I see galaxies, and how his bronze hair is like that last second of a sunset, and just how—when I first met him, I never thought I would love him this much.

Before I knew it, my eyes start to close and my head feels heavy.

I dream of his eyes and his gorgeous smile.

***

Someone kicked me, on the side and I jerked up. My eyes rose to see Black standing assertively in front of me. Her arms are crossed, and she got her helmet off. Her short hair frames her face menacingly.

My first instinct is to search for Blue. My eyes dart to him immediately. He’s right where he was, but his head had flopped to the side. I felt my stomach drop and an invisible shock run through my spine. The air suddenly felt un-breathable.

I looked back at Black. “Did you—did you kil—“

My breaths become shorter, but I know my lungs are fine. It’s always been fine. My face starts to burn and there’s ringing in my ear. White noise—no, more like static, deafening static.

“Is he dead?” I mouthed.

Black walks around the room and picks up my helmet. She had replaced the broken glass with a new one from Storage. She tosses it at me. I realized too late and it hit my chest. She glares at me and then eyes Blue. She smiles till the edges of her mouth reached her ears—an abnormality caused by our mutation she had always embraced. It scares even me.

“Not yet,” she purred.

My heartbeat doesn’t go down, but at least my breath came back.

“Medbay,” she commanded. “Now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's Ant the author here. First of all, let me to thank all of you so much who've generously given your time to read this story 'til this far, supported me, and have waited this long. It really warms my heart to know people enjoy this story as much as I do. 
> 
> Secondly, I want to apologize. I've made a promise to all the readers in late September that I would be taking a break from writing for a month and will resume in mid-November. Unfortunately, I have been too optimistic to set that deadline for myself. As it turns out, my other hobbies and interests, school assignments, the upcoming mideterms I have to study for, and recent family stuff had stifled my motivation to continue this story. It's not that I've lost interest or have no idea where this story is going. Believe me, I have it all written out and I've grown very attached to these characters. It's just that I can't put them into words, or at least I don't have the same amount of time to do so. So this is an update of why the hiatus is forced to be prolonged. But please remember, this story isn't over, and I sure hope it will be worth the wait. Thank you to all of you who are ever so patient with me. Again, PEACE, Y'ALL
> 
> **TL;DR: WRITER'S BLOCK GO BRRR. This fic isn't getting abandoned. It will be back soon. Thank you for your patience.**
> 
> For the mean time, you can check out [this work's spotify playlist.](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/47PKy4B7F3tt2AOabScRp5?si=LCazfpNHRmG_DJP0DmhMbw)


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